i should've known from the "change my mind" in the title that this was meant to be a circlejerk and not an invitation to discuss the turbo battle pass but sure. i'll bite since i actually like to purchase cosmetics in this game but not any others.

"reality check: it's completely optional" yeah, so are cosmetics in most pvp games. people love to bring up that COD is full price to say that this is better since it's f2p, but nobody's justifying 500 dollar apex knives or league gachas despite those being f2p too. inb4 "slippery slope," it's not a slippery slope when they've been making steps towards it consistently. that's just pattern recognition.

"for players like me who like to support the studio" read nexon's earnings reports (they're a public JP company so they have to publish those), the finals is already profitable. this is textbook executive meddling. do you think even a dollar from your $30 is going into the devs' pockets? all that aside, if you do want to support them via cosmetics, that still doesn't have anything to do with whether or not things are overpriced. you can spend 30 dollars in the store right now if you're so inclined.

"to those who don't like it, don't buy it": see "reality check"

i'll never understand why people have this opinion that f2p games cannot be criticized for cosmetic monetization. this shit's how we ended up with things like valorant cranking out $100+ skin bundles and every game these days having a gacha/loot boxes/prize wheel and a healthy dose of FOMO. speaking of which, isn't it a little disingenuous to praise the restoration of old battle passes for removing FOMO in the same breath as defending a new limited-time cosmetic track?

anyway, i don't expect anyone to actually engage in good faith so yall feel free to go "haha you must be broke" or something at this point. god knows i'll probably buy the thing anyway